Chechen leader's threats result in new public apologies

Two residents of Chechnya recorded a video appeal in which they apologized to Ramzan Kadyrov for their comments on social networks. Instagram users found logic in the apologies posted after the public threats voiced by the leader of Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at a meeting in the Chechen government held on November 4, Ramzan Kadyrov voiced a demand to identify authors of negative posts about the Chechen republic and social network users commenting on them. In his speech, Ramzan Kadyrov attacked those who "violated the agreement between people, being engaged in gossip and contentions." The leader of Chechnya suggested stopping such people "by killing, imprisoning, and intimidating them," the BBC Russian Service quoted on November 7 on its website Ramzan Kadyrov as saying.

On November 18, a video, combined from records of the apologies voiced by two local residents, was posted on the "pro_Chechnya" public account in Instagram.

One of the videos was made in a selfie format. It shows a young man addressing Ramzan Kadyrov: "Dear Ramzan Akhmatovich, I apologize for writing all sorts of nasty things while intoxicated. I apologize to all the people of the Chechen Republic."

The second entry was made in an office interior. The video shows another young man in front of the video camera who says: "I sincerely apologize to Ramzan Kadyrov for writing such comments. I was in improper condition, I didn't even realize what I wrote ... Then I was explained what I wrote, and I realized that I was wrong."

Instagram users were not surprised by the new public apology videos. Authors of most comments found the video with the apologies a logical consequence of ill-considered posts. "Before you write anything, you should think about the consequences a hundred times," wrote, in particular, user monya6815.

Only one of the commentators, Atsiev Shamil, criticized the practice of public apologies.

"I wonder in which way they are obliged to voice apologies. Everyone without exception apologizes. They probably fear for their lives, health, and property. And this is chaos," the user wrote in his comment posted under the video.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 19, 2019 at 01:16 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.